Tilly Birds On Working With Ben&Ben On “Heaven”: “We really shared this experience and joined together to make this song”

Combining the sounds of the Thai alternative indie trio Tilly Birds and folk/pop nine-piece Ben&Ben, their joint piece “Heaven” is set for release this coming Thursday (September 25). Set in motion after having met in Malaysia in early 2024, the song has been in the works for nearly two years prior to its release. Furthermore, the fresh track is set to be released alongside a music video that was shot in the Philippines.

The new single would mark the latest addition to the Thai trio’s recent trend of fully English singles — “Never A Waste Of Time,” which was released in July, and “Retro 39,” which was released in October. With that, the band has been hinting at the upcoming release of their developing fully-English album, which is set for release soon.

On that note, in an exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, Third, Billy, and Milo of the Tilly Birds share their experience working with Ben&Ben on the piece, and delve into their upcoming fully-English album.

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations as well on the recent single, “Never Waste of Time.” Can you tell us more about the new song?

Third: So it’s our ballad, a pop ballad, and it talks about the beauty of goodbyes and to appreciate what we have, and that time is never wasted.

Billy: To answer the question, it’s great to be releasing this one because we’ve been sitting on this for a while now. So as among other songs for the upcoming album, it’s quite a relief to see such positive feedback for the song. Like, people seem to really like it and are engaging by releasing more covers as well — it’s a very singable song, but not so easy as a “sing-along” song. You get what I mean? Yeah, it’s a good feeling.

Delving into the heart of the matter, you’re also cooking up a collaboration with Ben&Ben. How did that collaboration come about?

Billy: Oh, so this will take us back years — early 2024, right? Around March, when we were in Malaysia. We had the same show with Ben&Ben, and that’s when we met the band, and we got along so well, actually. That’s why this happened. It was just like an instant vibe. And then I just texted Paolo, saying, “Hey, so we had this idea to collab with you guys. What do you guys think?”

So, fast forward it, we flew here on the 1st of April and we just posted the photos that we were here. People actually wouldn’t believe it because it was the 1st of April. So, we were here to do that first, like a jamming session, and yeah, and it turned out to be the first jamming session where we (spontaneously) came up with a new song ever. And it was with Ben&Ben, who are very great musicians as well. To be able to do that in one room in their headquarters as well was pretty amazing.

Wow, so it’s been years in the making?

Third: Yeah, the festival we met was ‘Banyak Bagus’ in Malaysia. We were watching their set, and they were watching ours. We were very impressed by each other’s sets, and they’re so warm. They’re really like, familial, you know, even with so many people. We couldn’t recognize their names at first, but there was one song where the visuals were showing their names repeatedly, like Paolo, Miguel, Poch, Agnes, Pat, and others. And we were like, “Wow, this is so smart.” When they agreed, we were so happy. We’re actually filming our music video tomorrow and the day after as well.

It sounds like you guys have like a quite close relationship with them, especially after all of the jamming sessions. How has your experience been working with them so far?

Milo: Great. I mean, I never thought that we would be so friendly to each other. We also like sharing our picks of our musical taste, on both bands’ ends. And that makes this song quite unique. We’ve gotten internal feedback that a song like this is not exactly like Tilly Birds or Ben&Ben. But it’s unique and great [in that way]. Because I really want everyone in Thailand and the Philippines to really listen to the song because which is half and half [Tilly Birds and Ben&Ben]; we don’t technically have half in terms of headcount. But yeah, we really shared this and mixed it together to make this song. It’s quite an amazing experience.

Billy: We’re not even half the band.

Third: Yeah, not even close.

I think they’re three times of you.

Third: Yeah, exactly three times.

What was it like also to mix your sound with theirs? Because they’re very folk pop, and you’re also very pop. What was it like to kind of mix that into one song?

Billy: Good question. So, I think the easiest way that we could approach this — jamming was the right answer to that question. We just put everyone in the room to just play what you can play, and then just see what happens. So, that kind of solved the issue a bit. Just hear some Ben&Ben, hear some Tilly Birds, and there you go. That’s the song. No matter what it is, I think if everyone likes it, then it’s done. So that’s what we did.

Can you tell us about the themes you’ve explored in the new song?

Third: This is a very interesting question because I don’t really know how to explain it exactly. But I started off writing this, basing it on my personal experience, to meet someone again in the same timeline. But then again, when Mig and Pau came in with the lyrics, we wrote it together, and they added their own twist and spin on it. So, the song really talks about us basically meeting each other in the same timeline. It’s like, it’s a really one-time thing, or it’s a situation or an event that’s really rare, because we’re from different countries and we’re so different in terms of musicality. But then, we managed to blend together our uniqueness and our style. So, the lyrics talk about that.

For others, it might be about you meeting that special someone. It can be anyone. It can be your family. It can be your close ones, your loved ones. It’s just a special time that you guys are in the same timeline, and you guys are united at last.

You’ll also be releasing your fully English album soon. Can you talk about the main messaging behind the album?

Milo: Well, we’ve got four singles out so far.

Billy: And let me tell you, if you’re going to try to connect the dots, “Heaven” will confuse you. It will confuse you, but it’s a great song. If you see the big picture, it will make sense. But just right now, if you connect them, it will be quite confusing. But all in all, there will be a theme to drive all of these songs together. Some sections will be together; some sections will gather on their own, where they need to be. You know what I mean? Then I think it’s just a matter of listening chronologically through the album. And then you’ll find out what it means.

Milo: Yeah, so we basically have two types of albums. This project, which is an English album, we started right after we finished It’s Gonna Be Okay, our second album. So the principle, the way of thinking, we got that idea from the previous album. The three of us are producing and writing songs, as our own. We’re still doing that and trying to make every song into a different one, to represent a different person. So, it’s kind of like the Tilly Birds sound, but also new, and also in English — that’s an important part.

On that note, what was it like to have to express yourself in a full album, in a completely different language?

Third: Fun fact, we actually started the band with English tracks. So, it’s like coming back to our very start, the beginning. After two Thai albums, we thought it was the right time to really come back to this and start a new journey with the English album and see how it will go and where it will take us.

Now that you’re exploring international borders by collaborating with foreign Filipino artists, are there any other Filipino artists that are kind of on your radar that you would like to perform with or like collaborate with? 

Billy: All right, we can maybe just throw it out there. I mean, when we spend our time here, like during our last visit, we get to meet cool and interesting artists as well. Among them, it’s going to be cool to do something together, even a collab or something. We’ve met Lola Amour, we’ve met Ena Mori. We’ve met Gabba. We haven’t met Clara Benin yet.

Third: We’ve heard IV of Spades are back? We haven’t met them, though. But I love the songs. 

Billy: We saw Cup of Joe live [in UP fair].

Third: We saw Munimuni, too!

Billy: We haven’t talked to them, but we saw them.

Third: And probably it will be interesting to have, you know, some female divas in our songs, like Sarah Geronimo. Oh my gosh, I grew up with her. Regine Velasquez, Lea Salonga, Kyla.

Wow, you’re so in touch with OPM. I love it!

My dad told me when I was a kid, like, “If you want to go to a country where nearly everyone can sing and they’ve got like amazing divas, it’s the Philippines.” 

Very true!

On a final note, do you have any message for your Filipino fans who are excited for your upcoming album and would love to see you live once again? 

Billy: Well, it’s been a long time since we released the first single. And by now, it’s been almost two years by this point, I think. So, by the time this album is released, it’s going to be almost two years exactly. We just hope you guys stay tuned for that. This album is going to be something that’s still going to sound uniquely Tilly Birds, but in a different way. And I hope it’s a good way, and I hope you guys will like it. 

Third: To all you sobrang masarap (gorgeous) people, we love you, and we look forward to playing our songs, our album, for you guys, and hopefully we can get to have fun together again.